A soldier in the U.S. Army first prospected silver in Little Cottonwood Canyon in 1869. It was the start of Alta becoming a mining town that would grow to 138 homes and 8,000 people.

Ted Johnson arrives at Alta to work at the Alta Rustler Lodge for the winter. Inspired by what he saw, he dreams up Snowbird as a ski resort. 

Ted Johnson and his wife Wilma begin buying old mining claims, starting with the Blackjack mining claim. Over the next 2 years, they buy various claims, mainly in secret as to not drive up the price or let competitors know of their plans to create a ski resort.

Ted Johnson hires designer Ted Negata to develop a logo and marketing materials for the future resort. Ted Johnson begins pitching Snowbird using the materials from Ted Negata and a 13-minute movie narrated by Warren Miller to persuade investors to fund the resort.

Ted Johnson meets oilman Dick Bass at a party in Vail. Bass was already an investor in Vail Mountain and jumped at the idea of being a part of Snowbird. Bass helped shape the final vision for Snowbird as a world-class resort in harmony with its natural surroundings. 

Snowbird opens in December with the Tram and 3 chairlifts: Gad 1, Gad 2 and Wilbere. The Lodge at Snowbird and the Snowbird Center were also complete for Opening Day. 

Inspired by the local German community in Salt Lake City, as well as one of Snowbird’s first Tram operators, Arthur Brogli (who could be found playing the accordion and yodeling on the Tram), Snowbird hosts the first Oktoberfest on the Plaza Deck. Horst Fidel, a member of the band, Horst Fidel and the Bavarians, and Horst Young who owned a local German delicatessen, helped provide both food and live music for the original event.

Brogli released a record, “Spectacular Yodeling,” in 1973, featuring the track, “Snowbird Yodel Polka.”

The west wing of The Cliff Lodge opens as a 160 room hotel.

The Little Cloud lift is installed as a double chair, allowing skiers to access more of the mountain without having to get on the Tram. In the same year, Gad 1 (now Gadzoom) is extended so people can ski down to the Little Cloud loading station. Mid-Gad is installed, exactly how it is now.

A major expansion of The Cliff Lodge creates 352 new rooms, The Cliff Spa, a conference center, The Aerie restaurant and the original cogeneration plant. At the time of the remodel, The Cliff Lodge became the largest destination ski hotel in the world.

Baby Thunder lift opens, expanding beginner and intermediate terrain. With a lower loading station than the rest of the mountain, Snowbird can now boast an extra 200 feet of vert.

Gadzoom opens as Snowbird’s first high-speed quad. It replaces the existing Gad 1 chair.

Mineral Basin terrain and lift open. Some pieces of the Mineral Basin lift weighed as much as 16,000 pounds and took 4 snowcats to move into place.

Just in time for the 2002 Olympics, Snowbird connects to Alta via the installation of Baldy Express lift. This allows skiers to go between the 2 resorts with an Alta-Bird ticket.

Photo: 

• Alan Engen, Alta Ski School Director
• Dick Bass, Owner of Snowbird
• Bill Levitt, Mayor of Alta
• Onno Wieringa, GM of Alta
• Bob Bonar, GM of Snowbird

The Peruvian Tunnel opens, becoming North America's only ski tunnel. Peruvian Express is replaced with a high-speed quad that extendeds to the tunnel entrance, making it the longest chairlift in America. Creekside Lodge opens in Gad Valley.

Throughout this 2 year span, both Little Cloud and Gad 2 are replaced with high-speed quad chairs.

The Summit at Snowbird opens on Hidden Peak. The building was a lifelong dream of both Ted Johnson and Dick Bass.

An updated, state-of-the-art cogeneration facility, known as Snowbird Power Systems, is completed. This new facility allows Snowbird to more efficiently heat and power the resort while reducing dependency on coal. 

Snowbird celebrates its 50th anniversary season with the new Tram cabins and a series of celebrations, shared stories and skiing.

Snowbird unveils the new Tram cabin’s summertime rooftop balconies which are the first of their kind in the United States.

The original Wilbere Lift is replaced with a fixed-grip quad chairlift and the loading station moves to the Creekside Base Area. 

Snowbird reconstructs the Mid-Gad restaurant with improved cafeteria-style stations and floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of Mt. Superior and Little Cottonwood Canyon.